Mind Over Matter
by A Shadow's Lament
Summary: There is an envy in her eyes as she looks at the bands of gold on her comrades fingers, but a worry too. She loves him more than anything else, on that she is certain, yet her mind is not at ease with what follows from a confession... Perhaps a certain Lord can soothe her concerns... Chrom/FemaleAvatar, set sometime before Chapter 10. Rated T.


**A first Fire Emblem fiction for me… Huzzah. So, like many, I bought FE: Awakening, deciding to test a new franchise. (I'm generally a Legend of Zelda and Assassin's Creed gal), and oh my dear sweet Naga. To say I'm in love with the game is an understatement. So, as I do with new loves, I decided to write a short story. The title is not my best, I'll admit, but I hope that doesn't prevent you from enjoying the story.**

**Arianne/Aria is a full-grown woman with the second face and white hair, fashioned in the long loose style with a fringe (or bangs if you prefer).**

* * *

**~ Mind Over Matter ~**

The book lay open, its contents waiting to be read and analysed as it had been so many times before. Even her finger was waiting under the words, tapping as though to encourage her eyes to follow the path her finger was making. Yet her eyes simply did not obey her digit's command. Arianne ceased her relentless beat on the page; nothing was going to make her focus on the battle strategies before her. Not when the prince sat naught but a foot away from her. The prince who had confessed his love to her only two days ago… and had been halted in his declaration by her hesitance.

She slammed the book shut, more force behind the action than was really needed, and turned her attention to the hearth before her. She loved him, far more dearly than her simple words had connoted, and yet she had told him to wait. Arianne did not regret the decision – the war against Plegia was their priority, not following the feelings that had enraptured their hearts. But… she did wish she had not suggested to not even show an inkling of their feelings. _It's for the better_, she told herself, and though she trusted in that judgement, it did not warm her to the idea of restraining herself.

As a tactician, her thoughts were organised, coherent formations that allowed for objectivity and rationality. A linear mind considered every fact and decided which were paramount. It was those kind of reasoned thoughts that had resulted in her telling him to wait. A heart only concerned with protecting who it loved would lead to carless misjudgements. Even before his confession, and though he gave assistance to all his comrades and friends, Chrom had always been extra… vigilant when it came to matters concerning her. Though well versed in both magic and sword fighting, he had never hesitated to aid her in battles; often to his own detriment. There were several scars atop his arm that were a reminder of what comrades prided as bravery. Arianne more thought them as a mark of stupidity.

Unlike Sumia, Arianne did not fawn over Chrom when he returned home from battle with another wound to his ever-growing collection. She was the one to usually scold him for his impulsivity, not commend his courage. And yet, despite infuriating her to no end that he never did pay heed to her words, it did warm some deep part of her heart to see how truly protective he was of her.

Yet, it was not only her own thoughts that had led to her hesitance. Arianne casted a glance around the camp, looking at the individuals whom she had come to know well over the last months. Though trust and familiarity had long been established between the Shepherds and herself through friendly banter and comradeship, she did not know how strong those bonds would hold when faced with the revelation of her feelings toward their leader.

She knew she had earned their friendship and that they did not question her judgement as a tactician, but would they so easily place their faith in her if she was to become more than that? …If she was to become their queen? Her thoughts were based purely upon hypothesis; Chrom had not proposed to her, a fact she was oddly grateful for, but still she worried. Though she loved him with all that she was, she could not be sure that marriage appealed to her.

Chrom was a prince and though he did not flaunt his title as she would have expected from a royal, there was no escaping his royal lineage. Even without a proposal, she could almost be certain that his affections would lead to marriage. The successor to the throne was expected to take a bride… and produce heirs…

Arianne gulped softly and her fingers worried at the hem of her sleeve, feeling an unknown pressure beginning to suffocate her. _I'm overthinking this, _she told herself, but now that the thoughts had emerged, she could not supress them. There was absolutely no question in her mind that she loved Chrom and if the need called for it, would gladly give her life for him. But to be placed in the same category as him, to be not only a leader of the Shepherds but of the whole of Ylisse… It was not the responsibility of such a task that scared her, but rather how she would be judged.

The Shepherds had welcomed her with open arms, save the exceptions of Fredrick and Sully whom had taken considerably longer to warm up to her. Yet could the same be said for the denizens of the Halidom? She was nothing more than a tactician; a woman who had no recollection of family or home and no status to her name or fortune to speak of. What could she possibly offer a prince and his kingdom? Her eyes dropped to her hand, the brand hidden by her gloves. As if her history wasn't poor enough, how would citizens react to the Grimealean mark? The mark of the followers the Ylissean army was trying its hardest to dispatch…

Arianne glanced at the smiling faces around her and her eyes travelled to the golden bands around their fingers. A knot formed in her throat as, rather unexpectedly, so too did the bitter sensation of envy. How much easier it would be if Chrom was not royalty, or she was born and bred from a Ylissean family, unmarked by the eyes of Grima that despite all the bonds she had forged, would always brand her as different.

Yet even with the relentless worries circulating in her mind, there was a longing in her gaze; to have such a symbol to state that she belonged to Chrom just as he belonged to her. To be able to show their love in a manner so simple and yet so powerful. Though her fringe, she looked at Chrom, her own smile taking root on her mouth when seeing him smiling at Valike's most recent suggestion of a supposedly friendly spar.

He looked over at her then, his features taking on a softer edge as they did when his eyes fell on her. Immediately, Arianne blushed, ducking her head to hide behind her curtain of white hair. They may have both agreed to carry on as partners in arms and nothing more, but events did not pan out the way as liked. It was as if his confession had broken the barrier to her emotions, and now that the floodgate was open, there was no sealing it back up. And from her observations of him, it seemed he felt it too.

In battle, it was easy to push aside emotions and place all concentration into the task at hand. In camp however, the same feat was decidedly more difficult. Every brief look between them had both ducking their eyes, each little slip of a word that held deeper connotations leading to a blush. And each moment spent between them was mounted with such tension that every little touch had become erotic.

She balanced her elbows atop her knees, bringing her hands up to cup her face before heaving an almighty sigh.

"Is there something troubling you, Arianne?" Came Fredrick's voice, the slight concern in his voice reflected in many faces of the others as she looked up. She felt an embarrassed blush rising on her cheeks as every person focused on her, their expressions ranging from curiosity to worry. She glanced past Chrom, fearing that somehow he would know the root of her problem by gaze alone.

"No, nothing really. I just have a headache," she said smoothly. It wasn't a complete lie – she would have a migraine soon if she continue to grind her teeth any further. She brought a hand up to her jaw, easing it along the tight muscles, though it did little to relax them.

Fredrick nodded and gestured in the direction of the healer's tent. "Perhaps Lissa may be of help; her staff has been known to cure more than wounds gathered from battle." His words were confirmed with a happy cheer from Stahl – Lissa had been able to ease his stomach bug within seconds. Yet Arianne hesitated to agree – there was no used in seeking treatment for an ache that did not exist. Or at least didn't just yet.

"Maybe sleep is what you need," a deeper and smoother voice added and Arianne found herself struggling not to blush again under his gaze. "You retired late last night and waking up earlier than the rest of us won't have helped that," Chrom continued before he looked away, realising that his words suggested how much he had truly been watching her as of late.

"Um, yes, I think I will call it a night," Arianne replied. She chastised herself for being unable to look at him, wondering if the rest of the Shepherds found either of their behaviours odd. Gathering her book on strategy, having been left forgotten beside her, Arianne stood up.

With her goodbyes said and done, she began her walk to her tent, only to be stopped by Chrom saying, "I'll accompany you back." She paused, debating whether to decline the request even with the possibility that her comrades may find her denial strange, or allow for him to walk by her side. He appeared to sense her hesitance and continued, "There's a detail regarding one of the maps that I need to discuss with you."

Finally, she smiled and gave a quick nod and waited for him to stand beside her before continuing. Despite the dark of the veil of night, she was sure that the pink hue to her cheeks was noticeable. Other than the gentle crunch of dry grass under their feet and the steadily fading banter from the camp fire, the silence was unbearable. Even with simply walking by her side, a menial pastime that occurred every single day for Naga's sake, she was acutely aware of him to the point of it being painful. Faintly, she could catch the crisp smokiness of the fire they had sat next to and the underlying scent of pine from the trees he had trained beside earlier. She could hear his gentle intake of breath and see his chest rising and falling from the corner of her eye.

"So…" she started, searching for a way to break the deadly quiet, "Which map did you want to look over?"

"Ah, _that,_" Chrom muttered and as she spared a look at him, she took note of the expression of sheepishness that was playing over his features. "Well, you see, there isn't actually anything wrong with the maps." He rubbed the back of his neck, giving an awkward chuckle.

"An excuse then? To have a reason to escort me?" Arianne offered.

"Yes. Not that you need escorting or anything! You're more than capable of defending yourself!" he quickly explained whereas she smiled and mused, S_o you did listen to me when I scolded you for being my protector._ "But I just thought it seemed odd for me to accompany you without a motive."

Arianne looked at him, unable to stop a wry smile from taking route on her mouth. "Then what is your true motive?" she couldn't help but ask.

At that, it was his cheeks that were decorated with a reddish glow as his words disintegrated into nothing more than stumbled coughs. "I… Um…" He took a deep breath, steeling himself as he stopped to stand in her path. Hesitantly, he reached out for her hands and as their fingers touched, even through layers of gloves, she could feel the same spark of wanton lust. "Honestly, I just wanted to spend some time with you." Seeing her beginning to interject, he added, "Alone."

"We're alone when discussing different matters within our tents," she pointed out flatly, but her hands drew his tighter around her own, relishing in their firm grip.

He sighed wistfully. They were far away enough from camp that not even Valike's superior voice could be heard. "No, that's when we're displaying our respective roles to the army. When you are the tactician and I am the general. I want to be alone when you can simply just be Arianne and I'm simply Chrom."

Arianne dropped her eyes, biting her lip softly. "That isn't what we agreed to…"

"Aria, please," he begged, using the nickname he had created for her. His hands lifted from her own to cup her face, tilting her chin so that he could see better into her eyes. She felt her breath hitch from his close proximity, and was highly aware of her heart beating painfully as she took in the emotions in his eyes. There was a longing there that spoke of such a need to be at her side, she wanted to say to hell with propriety and the upholding of the rules she had created and kiss him. "I know we said that we would wait until after the war to act upon our feelings, but I don't think I can wait that long…"

She bit her lip. "It would be selfish. To put ourselves before all else when everyone relies on us to lead the army to victory… It just wouldn't be right," Arianne muttered, but Chrom was not one to give up so easily.

Always watching her reaction, as though waiting for her to reject him at any given moment, he lowered his head to her neck and brushed his lips against the bare skin. His hands traced down her cloak to seek her waist, gently tugging her closer as his mouth continued to move across her throat. "Does this feel wrong to you?" he asked softly, his voice taking on a husky edge.

"N-no," she breathed before swallowing and repeating, "No. It feels…" She sighed, feeling her defences beginning to wane. "…Wonderful."

Chrom smiled against her skin, bringing his mouth up to press teasing kisses under her jaw. He had absolutely no experience with this kind of thing, but from the hitched breathes Aria was giving, he figured he wasn't doing a bad job. It paid to listen to his friends' tales of what got their women ticking. When he rose his head to see her face, he fought a smirk at seeing her so flushed from a few simple kisses. Emboldened by the positive response thus far, he brought his mouth down to reach hers. Only for her to push away from him, breaking free from the circle his arms had created around her waist.

"Chrom... We can't…" she said, again looking at the ground. "What if one of the others was to find us like this?"

"Does it matter? I would wager that many of them already have their suspicions anyway," he rebuked, but she still stood statuesque. Chrom took a step forward, wanting nothing more than to give her the reassurance that the others would not care. He had given his comrades the luxury of marriage, to spend their nights in the company of their spouses even with knowing what to expect. Surely the same privileges would be granted to Arianne and himself?

"Then we should not be reinforcing those suspicions," she bit back as she moved further away from him, determined to stand her ground and not run back into the warmth of his arms.

"Aria. They are hardly going to care if we decide to pursue our affections," he told her, watching her intently as she played with the frayed hem of her sleeve. She wasn't one to own many quirks, but the little ones she did have, he found endearing. When she didn't respond for several long moments, Chrom continued, "There's more to your worry than you're letting on, isn't there?"

"I…" she began before cutting her words short. She didn't know how to address her anxieties without sounding too presumptuous. "You know that I have no past to speak of; no memories of my life or family before that fateful day when you found me, but I will not allow that to hinder my future. Only… I am not quite sure which direction my future is headed."

"You will always have a place at my side," Chrom reassured with a warm smile.

Arianne felt herself smile before it fell, a low sigh escaping her lips. "And I will continue to stay by your side for as long as you will have me. But Chrom… Though I am secure in the knowledge of knowing where life will take me during this war… What will happen after it is over?"

He quirked a brow, his eyes differentiating between being amused and baffled before finally settling on something akin to embarrassment. "Well, um, seeing how we decided to not pursue our feelings, I haven't really prepared for this moment…"

Her eyes went wide and she held her hands up, shaking her head. "Oh no, please don't think that I'm pressuring you into proposing! That's the last thing that I –"

She was cut off as in a tone far quieter than she had ever heard from him, Chrom said, "You hold no desire to be married?"

Arianne closed and opened her mouth a few times. _So much for having a tactical mind_, she lamented to herself. Briefly, she considered lying to him, to fib that he had not allowed her to finish, but the look in his eyes had her heart clogging her throat. Trying though he was to hide it, she could see the hurt in his gaze, the slight frown to his lips. All of which made her feel awful. "Chrom, I love you, so very much, but the idea of marriage… it scares me."

"Scares you?" he repeated incredulously. He had seen Aria display a wide display of emotions, ranging from boiling fury to the most tender of looks that she reserved only for him. But not once had he seen her scared. Worried perhaps, pulling at a loose thread on her sleeve, or whenever she bit her lip, there was a concern behind the action. The nervous flit to her gaze and way her hands stirred restlessly, her fingers weaving together over and over, was new to him.

Arianne lifted her eyes to him and with an intake of breath to steel herself, she detailed her worries. Only for a few seconds did she hold his stare before her eyes returned to the ground. She expected that as she told him her concerns, he would smile and chuckled, telling her that her thoughts were unfounded. Or would place a warm hand on her shoulder, his eyes speaking more comfort than his word would.

Chrom did neither of those things. He snorted. "What stupid things to be worried about."

"What?!" Arianne spluttered, her eyes wide with mixes of confusion and indignation that he could be so nonchalant about it all.

"Well? It's the truth." He shrugged. "The Shepherds have accepted you amongst their midst, all of whom hail from Ylisse or its borders, and though perhaps wary of your mark at first, it does not sway their judgement of you now."

"A few views from members of your army hardly qualifies as being representative of an entire kingdom," Arianne muttered.

"No. But I trust their opinion more than strangers we may one day rule over," Chrom replied with conviction.

She wasn't convinced. "How can you so easily disregard the opinions of citizens who are the very backbone of a great ruler? They will not accept you as their Exalt if you continue to be so quick to undervalue their views."

"Aria," Chrom said, gently reprimanding. "You have helped many Ylisseans, saving both lives and homes without so much a second thought. And not once did they deny your help in fear that you would bring them harm rather than salvation." She made to interrupt, but he simply held a hand up to halt her. "I do not undervalue anyone's opinions, be they commoner or noble. And I have no need to when I know that people from all walks of life will gladly take you as their queen."

"But what if you are wrong? What if they find out about my mark? I don't imagine nobles would take too kindly to their prince marrying a woman who bares the mark of the enemy," Arianne pointed out. She brought her left hand over her right, as though the brand could be seen through her gloves by mere mention of it.

"Then I'll simply kick them off the court."

"Chrom…" she stressed, wishing he would be serious.

"No, I mean it." He strode forward, closing the gap that had emerged between them by taking her into his arms. "Nothing anyone can say will change how I feel about you. Especially not some noble sat upon his mighty chair. Though in all fairness, the court isn't all that bad. But if anyone does happen to refute me… Well…" He removed one of his hands to tap the handle of Falchion will clear intent. Arianne smiled despite herself, strangely flattered to see how devoted he was to her, even with such dark intentions towards those who opposed him.

"I love you, Aria," Chrom said, his tone changing from mild jest to a serious note. "And though nothing would make me happier than having the honour of calling you my wife, I will not force you into a marriage that you hold no wish for."

Arianne hummed softly in the back of her throat, her head tilted as it did when deep in thought. The whole idea of a royal wedding still had her gulping and yet… she wondered if it would truly be so bad. She was an amnesiac commoner; that fact would remain with her no matter how she tried to hide it, but Chrom did not care about her station of her lack of memories. His unshakable faith in her had her heart swelling with affection for him, that despite everything, he loved her just as she loved him. Not only that, but the mere thought of him marrying another left her with a kind of pain that she had no name for. And so, with a greater certainty in her judgement and an indelible trust in the man before her, Arianne said, "I would be the luckiest woman alive to call you my husband."

Chrom's eyes widened, a smile of barely concealed euphoria beginning to form on his mouth. "Wait… does that mean you want to get married?"

She laughed. "I haven't actually been formally asked-" her words halted as Chrom dropped one knee before her. Even with her expectations, she couldn't stop the nervous excitement building in her chest and she didn't want to.

With a smile that was equal parts confidence and sheepishness at his lack of ring, Chrom took her left hand in his, removing her glove before bringing the back of her palm to his lips. She could barely hear his tender words over the beat of her heart in her ears, its erratic pulsing only ceasing as she whispered, "Yes, yes Chrom, I will marry you."

He kissed her ring finger then, on the very spot his own mark would soon lay before rising back to his feet. He only had the moment to register the unbidden look of joy on her features before she pulled him into an embrace. Her head tilted up as his angled down and finally, a much awaited kiss passed between the two, eradicating whatever lingering doubts she still may have harboured. She may not have thought of herself as much on her own, but with Chrom by her side, she knew that together, they were two halves of a greater whole.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Reviews are always appreciated.**


End file.
